HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT ESTATE AGENT
Its always useful to know what our potential customers are being advised when dealing with us as a business. That way we can all be ready with relevant responses, marketing messages and behaviours to attract client.
Here is what the Telegraph advised potential house sellers to do when dealing with an Estate agent! Hope you find it useful.
• Mystery shop: ask for details of properties on sale to assess the staffs’ performance. Visit on a Saturday to test any part-timers, too.
• Research which agents sell your type of home in your area. Rightmove.com and Primelocation.com show the agents most active on your patch.
• Find three good agents and invite them to value your home. Make a judgment on the combination of best price, experience at selling similar homes and their suggested approach to marketing.
• Ask agents for specific information on recent sales, prices and their promotional strategy. And remember – most buyers start online, so check the agents’ websites and which portals they advertise on.
• Fees range from one to 2.5 per cent, but always bargain hard.
• Consider incentivising agents with a higher fee for a quick sale. So they would get a higher rate if they sell in four weeks, say, and the fee reduces over time.
• Agree an opt-out clause to allow you to change agents after about 12 weeks.
